Stations in nearby Needles, just across the Colorado River from Arizona, also offer some of the most expensive gas in the state. “It means the person who has the typical midsize sedan with a 14-gallon-size fuel tank, they’re paying $21 more to fill up that tank today than last year.” “Drivers are paying $1.50 more per gallon than a year ago,” Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for AAA, told CNN about California gas prices. Najah’s Desert Oasis, the only gas station in a nearly 100-mile stretch. Some, angry about the high prices, have punched and thrown things at workers. The station’s higher-than-average prices have been a point of contention for many customers over the years. It’s better than nothing.”īlair and the station manager, Teri Teixeira, laughed and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Not at $6.39 a gallon, it’s not your average gas station,” a man yelled from a nearby table. It’s not your average gas station, she added while sitting at the register on a recent afternoon. In her time at the station, it has aided people, children included, who have hiked through the desert after fatal car accidents and once rescued a missing woman from the parking lot. I was a child out here before it was here and before the callboxes went in, and people died out here.” I believe that, too, because I know how many people we have saved … I know how important this place is. “I call us save-your-ass gas,” said Blair, a 20-year-employee of the station. Barriers put up in the pandemic have come in handy when customers, angry over fuel prices, try to throw things. Inside, there are tables where those passing through can get a break from the desert heat, and outside there are large fountains with koi fish.Ĭarolynn Blair, Teri Teixeira and Kaylee Souter at Najah’s Desert Oasis. The station is a lifeline for travelers stranded when their vehicles break down in the harsh desert, lost hikers and those who live in this isolated region of San Bernardino county. Najah’s Desert Oasis is more than just a fuel stop, Blair said. We have to do everything on our own,” said Carolynn Blair, one of the few workers who lives nearby.

The station only recently got electricity after running on diesel generators for much of its 25 years. Prices at Najah’s Desert Oasis have always been higher than average, workers say, because getting anything delivered this far out – fuel included – is expensive. This week, they hit a new record amid fuel shortages and increased demand, recording an average price per gallon of $4.68. The Golden state has long had the highest gas prices in the country.

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